Assist cord structure



March 18, 1941.

H s. LION ASSIST CORD STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 16, 1939 INVENTOR. Hagan S. Llo/v.

ATTORNEY?- Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASSIST" on1) STRUCTURE Harold S. Lion, Cincinnati, Ohio Application January 16, 1939, Serial No. 251,149

. 16 Claims.

My invention relates to the provision of a new utility for vehicles of all kinds. For example, most automobiles of the sedan type are provided with assist cords generally in the form of reinforced loops hanging from a suitable support near the doors, which are used to assist persons entering and leaving the vehicle and also occasionally to brace an occupant of the vehicle while the vehicle is going around the curves and the like.

They have, however, no other utility. On the other hand the need for a means for hanging up garments in the vehicle is very frequently apparcut during touring, so much so that many owners of motor vehicles purchase and put up in the car hooks upon which coats and the like can be hung when necessary. These are unsightly and uncertain; and they do not provide the facilities of the usual garment hanger. The fundamental object of the invention is the provisionof a struc ture wherein the functions of an assist cord could be combined with the functions of a garment hanger.

This fundamental object and others which will be pointed out hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art on reading these specifications, I accomplish by that certain structure and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of one type of my structure.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same type of structure.

' Figures 3' and 4 are perspective views of cooperating parts of means whereby the parts of the garment hanger or of the assist cord can be held in the different necessary relationships.

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of another type of assist cord structure.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view thereof.

Figure '7 is a View showing the position of the assist cord loop preparatory to the elevation of the portions thereof to form a garment hanger. This figure also shows in dotted lines the positions of the parts during use as a garment hang- Figure 8 is a sectional view of one portion of the assist cord structure taken along the section lines 8-8 of Figure 6 and showing an exemplary construction.

In the first embodiment of my invention I provide an assist cord which may be generally of the usual shape and form. Within the loop portion of the assist cord I provide pivoted members which can be withdrawn from their concealed position and elevated and fixed in a proper position for use as a garment hanger. In Figs. 1 and 2, I represents a base plate by which the assist cord is mounted and supported in the vehicle by means of screws or bolts 2, or other suitable fastening means. The base plate may be made in various shapes and sizes appropriate for use in various motor vehicles either as initial equipment or as a substitute for the assist cords with which these vehicles are initially provided. The base plate may, if desired, be furnished with an integral or attached hook 3 so as to give it additional utility. One portion of the base plate is in the form of a roll or trunnion 4 which may be employed for the attachment of a ring or link 5 from which the assist cord proper is suspended. The assist cord is indicated at 6 and may be of the ordinary or usual construction in the art.

It is, however, provided with a mounting means which will now be described. A member I preferably though not necessarily of metal is provided at one end with a trunnion 9 or other means for engaging the ring 5. Beyond this portion it is bifurcated as at 10, H to provide interspaced, substantially parallel portions between which the hinged sections of the garment hanger may be mounted. The ends of the bifurcated portions are elongated and spread as at l2, l3 and to these parts the ends of the assist cord loop pro-per 6, are attached in a convenient way. This may be done in an exemplary fashion through the use of a rear plate I4 and bolts I5; but the attachment may be made in any effective manner as will be evident.

' The garment hanger proper comprises a pair of arms indicated generally at It. These may be constructed in any suitable fashion. I have shown them made of a suitably stiff wire or rod bent upon itself to form a loop H to support the shoulder portions of a garment, the ends of the loop being held together by a ferrule 18 and one of the portions of the rod projecting therebeyond. It is my object to mount these members not only in a pivotal fashion between the bifurcated portions of the holding member III, II but also to provide means whereby the portions of the garment hanger may be fixed in different positions with sufiicient rigidity to serve their purpose. A convenient construction for this purpose is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Here I have provided a metallic member IS on the end of one of the arms It. This member has means 20 for engaging the end of the arm and to which the arm may be fastened in any suitable way, as by being merely frictionally engaged in a trunnion for the passage of a stud 30.

like arrangement, or by welding or brazing, or by combinations of the methods. The member I9 is surmounted by a flat circular head 2| having a central perforation 22 for the passage of a pivotal member and surrounding regularly spaced configurations 23, which may be perforations as shown or may be indentations. The member shown in Fig. 4 is attached to the other arm of the pair constituting the garment hanger. It is similar in construction, having means for attachment to the arm IS, a circular head 24, having the mating central perforation 25. In positions similar to the positions of the configurations 23 I peen or strike up the metal to form rounded protuberances 26. When the two arms are assembled with the two circular heads 2| and 24 in face to face relationship and with the protuberances 26 entering the perforations or depressions 23, and when the structure is supported on pivot means passing through the perforations 22 and 25, it will be evident that the arms may be swung to various radial positions and held there by the interlocking of the depressions and the protuberances. Thus the portions 2| and 24 in my device are located between the bifurcated portions H and It of the assist cord suspending means and are there held by a pivot 21, which may be a bolt, rivet or the like passing through the members i0, H, 2! and 24. The two arms I6 may be swung down into the position indicated at A in dotted lines in Fig. 2, in whic-hposition these members are out of the way and are hidden by the assist cord 6. They are frictionally held in the assist cord suspending means but can be xiswung out of the way if one desires to pass an arm through the assist cord loop, for example. The arms can also be separated and swung to the positions indicated in dashed lines at B, B, in which position they will be locked by the interengagement as aforesaid, and in this position will form a coat hanger which can be used as such with the coat or similar garment engaged over the two arms in theusual way. It will be evident that if the back portion of the coat is placed against the body of the car the assist cord itself will still be exposed for use if such use is desired.

In a modification of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to '7 of the drawing the assist cord itself may be made into an effective coat hanger by the construction there set forth. A base plate 28 is again provided, which may be of any form required. It is provided with a protruding stud 29 which is hollow Within and perforated at one side This stud has a head 3i within the perforation of the post 29, and the construction thus described forms as will be evident a swivel joint. The stud 30 is attached to a U-shaped or bifurcated suspending means 32. It will be evident that variants of this construction may be adopted. The stud 30 if pivotally mounted to the suspending means 32 may be rigidly attached to the post 29 or may be an integral part of it.

A pair of arms, in this instance indicated at 33, 34, are mounted in the mounting member 32 in a manner similar to that described above. While other mountings are possible, it will be convenient to provide for these arms the means shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which means provide not only a suitable pivotal mounting on a rivet or bolt 35 but also means whereby the arms may be elevated and fixed in an upraised position.

In the structure of Figs. 5 to 7, however, the portions of the device which form the operating parts of the coat hanger also form, when juxtaposed, the operating parts of the assist cord. Each arm therefore is in the shape of a covered loop of rod or stiff wire as illustrated at 36, 31, These loops may be bent over at their ends to provide interengaging portions 38, 39 as shown, so that the elements when interengaged to form an assist cord, form an assist cord of loop shape.

While the assist cord portions may have any construction desired, and may have solid interior cores with or without a covering, I have found it convenient to form them as shown in section in Fig. 8 where the two portions of the wire loop are indicated at 40, and a covering at 4| is joined together over these portions by stitching or the like 42. Padding may be added as desired.

When the device is in use as an assist cord it will be disposed as shown in Fig. 6. When it is desired to use it as a garment hanger the swivel joint hereinabove described permits it to be swung to the position shown in Fig. '7. Thereafter the ends of the assist cord members may be disengaged either by flexing or by a slight, relative sidewise movement and then the arms may be swung to the position shown in dotted lines at C, in which position they will form an operative coat hanger as will be evident.

As indicated, modifications may be made in my structure without departing from the spirit of my invention. Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an assist cord structure, supporting means and a depending loop shaped assist cord, a pair of arms pivoted together and to said supporting means substantially at the upper portion of said assist cord loop and adapted to occupy both a juxtaposed position within the assist cord loop and concealed thereby, and an elevated opposed position in which the said arms form a garment hanger.

2. In an assist cord structure, supporting means and a depending loop shaped assist cord, a pair of arms pivoted together and to said supporting means substantially at the upper portion of said assist cord loop and adapted to occupy both a juxtaposed position within the assist cord loop and concealed thereby, and an elevated opposed position in which the said arms form a garment hanger, and means for holding the said arms in opposed elevated position.

3. In an assist cord structure, supporting means and a depending loop shaped assist cord, a pair of arms pivoted together and to said supporting means substantially at the upper portion of said assist cord loop and adapted to occupy both a juxtaposed position within the assist cord loop and concealed thereby, and an elevated opposed position in which the said arms form a garment hanger, and means for holding the said arms in opposed elevated position, said means comprising relatively rotative parts in face to face engagement, and pivoted on said arms to said supporting means, said parts having interengagement means for fixing said arms in position.

4. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a link attached to said base plate, supporting means attached to said link, an assist cord suspended from said supporting means, and a pair of arms adapted to form a garment hanger also attached to said supporting means, said supporting means being bifurcated, and said arms being pivoted between the bifurcated portions thereof so that said arms can occupy both a juxtaposed position in which they are within and concealed by said assist cord loop and an elevated positionin which they form said garment hanger, and means for fixing said arms in said elevated position.

5. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a link attached to said base plate, supporting means attached to said link, an assist cord suspended from said supporting means, and a pair of arms adapted to form a garment hanger also attached to said supporting means, said supporting means being bifurcated, and said arms being pivoted between the bifurcated portions thereof so that said arms can occupy both a juxtaposed position in which they are within and concealed by said assist cord loop and an elevated position in which they form said garment hanger, and means for fixin said arms in said elevated position, said base plate comprising an extending hook.

6. In an assist cord structure comprising a base plate, an assist cord having two parts which in one position are juxtaposed to form an assist cord and which are pivotally mounted with respect to said base plate so that they may be elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger, and. a swivel mounting for said assist cord on said base plate.

'7. In an assist cord structure comprising a base plate, an assist cord having two parts which in one position are juxtaposed to form an assist cord and which are pivotally mounted with respect to said base plate so that they may be elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger, and a swivel mounting for said assist cord on said base plate, said assist cord comprising arms bent at their lower ends to form interengaging hook-like portions whereby when said arms are juxtaposed to form an assist cord, an assist cord of loop shape is provided.

8. In an assist cord structure comprising a base plate, an assist cord having two parts which in one position are juxtaposed to form an assist cord and which are pivotally mounted with respect to said base plate so that they may be elevated and opposed to form a garment. hanger, and a swivel mounting for said assist cord on said base plate, said base plate comprising a post, the means providing a swivel mounting comprising means for attachment to said post.

9. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, an assist cord suspending means of bifurcated form having a swivel connection with said base plate, a pair of arms having pivoting portions pivotally engaged between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means whereby said arms may be swung to a juxtaposed position to form an assist cord or to an elevated and opposed position to form a garment hanger.

10. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, an assist cord suspending means of bifurcated form having a swivel connection with said base plate, a pair of arms having pivoting portions pivotally engaged between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means whereby said arms may be swung to a juxtaposed position to form an assist cord or to an elevated and opposed position to form a garment hanger, said arms comprising foundation structures and a covering thereon.

11. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, an assist cord suspending means of bifurcated form having a swivel connection with said base plate, a pair of arms having pivoting portions pivotally engaged between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means whereby said arms may be swung to a juxtaposed position to form an assist cord or to an elevated and opposed position to form a garment hanger, said arms comprising foundation structures and a covering thereon, said arms being provided at their ends with interengaging means, whereby when said arms are in juxtaposition they form an assist cord of loop shape.

12. In an assist cord structure, mounting means and an assist cord, said assist cord comprising two parts pivoted with respect to each other and with respect to said mounting means, whereby said parts may be juxtaposed to form an assist cord and elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger.

13. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a post thereon, a bifurcated suspending means pivotally mounted to said post, a pair of arms having pivoting means lying in face to face relationship between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means and pivoted thereto, said face to face portions having interengagement means for fixing said arms in different relative positions, said arms adapted to be juxtaposed to form an assist cord and elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger.

14. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a post thereon, a bifurcated suspending means pivotally mounted to said post, a pair of arms having pivoting means lying in face to face relationship between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means and pivoted thereto, said face to face portions having interengagement means for fixing said arms in different relative positions, said arms adapted to be juxtaposed to form an assist cord and elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger, each of said arms comprising a relatively stiff core structure and a covering thereon.

15. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a post thereon, a bifurcated suspending means pivotally mounted to said post, a pair of arms having pivoting means lying in face to face relationship between the bifurcated portions of said suspending means and pivoted thereto, said face to face portions having interengagement means for fixing said arms in different relative posi-- tions, said arms adapted to be juxtaposed to form an assist cord and elevated and opposed to form a garment hanger, each of said arms comprising a relatively stifi core structure and a covering thereon, said arms at their lower ends having interengagement means, whereby when they are juxtaposed, a loop shaped assist cord is provided.

16. In an assist cord structure, a base plate, a suspending means pivoted thereto, a structure depending from said suspending means and forming an assist cord and garment hanger, said structure comprising a pair of arms pivoted to said suspending means and having both a juxtaposed position and an opposed position in which opposed position they form said garment hanger.

HAROLD S. LION. 

